The Forge of God: Variety reports that Warner Bros. has acquired the film rights to Greg Bear's sci-fi novel which "Black Hawk Down" scribe Ken Nolan will pen. Warners hopes to turn this into a trilogy using Bear's sequel "Anvil of Stars" and an as yet unwritten third installment. 'Forge' sounds rather "Independence Day" esque with hostile aliens who've picked up encouraging messages of 'visit Earth' on our various space probes, and decide to take over. The selling point was Nolan's 70-page scriptment, detailling "a complicated invasion filled with an ensemble of characters bent on preventing it". Nolan didn't even get to detail the sequel before Warners snapped it up, 'Anvil' deals with the survivors heading off to the alien homeworld for some payback. Thanks to 'Miqque'

Having read both these books all I can say is I think they'll make fantastic movies if enough money is spent on them FX-wise.

But the really interesting part of this report, for me, is the hint of another instalment from Bear. Bring it on!

'Warner Brothers has just negotiated a potential three-picture deal for THE
FORGE OF GOD, ANVIL OF STARS, and an as-yet unnamed and unwritten third
novel set in the same timeline.

Screenwriter Ken Nolan ("Blackhawk Down") prepared a 70-page extended
treatment, called by some a "scripment," of The Forge of God while working
with Vince Gerardis of Created By, a Los Angeles management/production
company that specializes in science fiction. Warner is commissioning two
screenplays, with provisions for a third.

Richard Curtis Literary Associates sold the original novels to Tor and
Warner Publishing and will negotiate any publishing deals for the third
novel.

The deal is excellent, the "scripment" by Ken Nolan is extraordinary and
very faithful to the novel, and Warner Bros.' enthusiasm and commitment to
the project is exemplary. The deal was made at the behest of and with the
total involvement of the highest management at Warner Bros., and was
completed within one day of negotiation. Warner Bros. has expressed a
desire to have all the elements in place to begin production as soon as
possible. A director is not yet attached, but may be soon.

The goal of this project is ultimately to create a monumental, hard-sf
motion picture trilogy, dealing with interstellar crime and punishment,
completing the themes developed in The Forge of God (Tor 1987) and Anvil of
Stars (Warner Books, 1992).'